How to check if there is spare capacity in the cabinet?

I’ve currently got Vodafone broadband (FTTC) and coming up to the end of my contract and looking to switch. Usually I’d just to a switch and the new provider would switch seamlessly on the same day as the old one ends.

As I am going to be away for a couple of months it didn’t seem worth paying for a service I won’t use so my plan instead is to cancel with Vodafone, then a few months later I will join up with a new provider.

I have been told that I would lose my phone number if I did this (not an issue as I don’t use it anyway). However I was also told that if the cabinet was currently at capacity I may not actually be able to join again with a new provider (once I cancel, someone may take my spare connection in the interim period).

Just wondering if there was any way to check if this was likely to be an issue? I did go to a website and enter my address and it told me what my cabinet was and gave a whole load of numbers of which I couldn’t understand a thing! Obviously if this is likely to be an issue then I’ll just to a normal switch and pay the extra. I seen similar posts with the same query and understand I am looking for “waiting list” if full - when I look it says WBC FTTC Availability Date “unavailable” although I have no idea if I’m actually looking in the right column!

You want the last column along the top row.

If it says waiting list then I’d be wary of cancelling.

As this is the only publicly visible measure it’s all you can go off but it’s not ideal - it could be available but 1 spare port or available with 20.

Thanks a lot for your hope. The last column on the top line (WBC SOGEA Availability Date) does that “available”

It was the second from last column on the top line (WBC FTTC Availability Date) that said “unavailable” that was confusing me

WBC FTTC is the now legacy analogue phone + broadband product, WBC SOGEA is broadband only. The wiring from the street cabinet to the premises and master socket is the same for both products.

A national stop sell on FTTC came into force a couple of months ago, hence that product is no longer available for new supply.

Perfect - thank you for your explanation

Just a word or warning on this...

Any availability checks done via a WLR phone number that's linked with an active FTTC line will always show available even if a waiting list is in place. An address check is the only way to show true availability in such a scenario.

As explained above the checker is a simple available/unavailable and gives no indication on the amount of capacity available. Since the 2020 lockdown started FTTC cabinets hit full capacity in huge numbers across the country.

If there is full fibre being deployed around your cabinet area that takes pressure/capacity of the FTTC cabinet when customers take FTTP instead. If there is no FTTP being deployed near you then FTTC capacity is likely to get worse over time and not better.
Openreach aren't investing in additional FTTC capacity. They want FTTP overbuild to sort that issue.

If your only other broadband option is very slow ADSL then I would be wary about giving up your port as it's possible you may never get it back.

Seconded - just suck up a couple of months rental. I wouldn't risk it unless you know for sure FTTP is available to other properties in your cabinet area.

In addition, some broadband providers charge extra for activating a service on a line rather than migrating an existing service.

Thanks for your input - I did use the address checker (not phone number) but understand the availability status gives no indication of capacity.

I don’t think Fttp is available to other houses - it definitely isn’t available for me and on the checker for other houses (same cabinet) it says at the bottom that fttp is not available. City fibre is available to other houses in my street though so hopefully that would ease the pressure - especially as it seems to be cheaper and faster looking at the website. I don’t have that option as in a flat.

Thanks - I think I agree it might just be easier and less risky just to pay an extra few months

Definitely less risky. If you want some anecdotal evidence, my cabinet filled up at the start of this year and remained that way for about seven months - but we have had Lit Fibre available since late 2022 and Openreach FTTP since April so the natural migration away from FTTC has helped.